The Wisdom of Sh'lomo
3:1 And Sh'lomo (שׁלמה) made affinity with Paroh melekh of Mitzrayim, and took Paroh's daughter, and brought her into the city of Daviyd (דּויד ), until he had made an end of building his own bayit, and the bayit YHWH (יהוה), and the wall of Yerushalayim round about.
3:2 Only the people sacrificed in bamah (high places), because there was no bayit built unto the Name of YHWH (יהוה), until those days.
3:3 And Sh'lomo (שׁלמה) loved YHWH (יהוה), walking in the chukkot (statutes) of Daviyd (דּויד ) his avi: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in bamah (high places).
3:4 And the melekh went to Giveon to sacrifice there; for that [was] the bamah hagedolah (great high place): a Thousand olot did Sh'lomo (שׁלמה) offer upon that Mitzbe'ach (altar).
3:5 In Giveon YHWH (יהוה) appeared to Sh'lomo (שׁלמה) in a cholom (dream) by night: and Elohim (אלהים) said, Ask what I shall give thee.
3:6 And Sh'lomo (שׁלמה) said:
Thou hast shewed unto thy eved Daviyd (דּויד ) my avi great mercy, according as he walked before thee in emet, and in tzedakah, and in yesharah (uprightness) of lev with thee; and Thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that Thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as [it is] this day.
3:7 And now, O YHWH (יהוה) my Elohim (אלהים), Thou hast made thy eved melekh instead of Daviyd (דּויד ) my avi: and I [am but] a little child: I know not [how] to go out or come in.
3:8 And thy eved [is] in the midst of thy people which Thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
3:9 Give therefore thy eved an understanding lev to shofat thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to shofat this thy so great a people?
3:10 And the speech pleased Adonay (אדני), that Sh'lomo (שׁלמה) had asked this thing.
3:11 And Elohim (אלהים) said unto him, Because Thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern mishpat;
3:12 Hinnei, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.
3:13 And I have also given thee that which Thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
3:14 And if Thou wilt halak in my derek, to shomer my chukkot (statutes) and my mitzvah, as thy avi Daviyd (דּויד ) did halak, then I will lengthen thy days.
3:15 And Sh'lomo (שׁלמה) awoke; and, hinnei, [it was] a dream. And he came to Yerushalayim, and stood before ha Aron the Brit YHWH (יהוה), and offered up olot, and offered Shelamin, and made a feast to all his avadim.
3:16 Then came there two women, [that were] harlots, unto the melekh, and stood before him.
3:17 And the one woman said, O my master, I and this woman dwell in one bayit; and I was delivered of a child with her in the bayit.
3:18 And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we [were] together; [there was] no stranger with us in the bayit, save we two in the bayit.
3:19 And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it.
3:20 And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.
3:21 And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, hinnei, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, hinnei, it was not my son, which I did bear.
3:22 And the other woman said,
Nay; but the living [is] my son, and the dead [is] thy son.
And this said:
No; but the dead [is] thy son, and the living [is] my son. Thus they spake before the melekh.
3:23 Then said the melekh:
The one saith, This [is] my son that liveth, and thy son [is] the dead: and
the other saith,
Nay; but thy son [is] the dead, and my son [is] the living.
3:24 And the melekh said:
Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the melekh.
3:25 And the melekh said,
Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.
3:26 Then spake the woman whose the living child [was] unto the melekh, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my master, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.
But the other said:
Let it be neither mine nor thine, [but] divide [it].
3:27 Then the melekh answered and said:
Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she [is] the mother thereof.
3:28 And all Yisrael heard of the mishpat which the melekh had shofat; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of Elohim (אלהים) [was] in him, to do mishpat.